Method for manufacturing wire wheels



24 1927., J. G. SWAIN METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING WIRE WHEELS 2 Sheets-She-t 1 Filed Jan. 9. 1925 I N V EN TOR. EPA 57mm A TTORNE Y.

May 24 9 12? J. G. SWAIN ramuon FOR MANUFACTURING wnw WHEELS Filed Jan. 9. 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. 7055/ /1 G. W.

Patented May 24, 1927.

UNITED "STATES 1,630,226 PATENT, OFFICE.

TOSEPH G. SWAIN, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRESTONE STEEL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING WIRE WHEELS.

Application flled January 9, 1925. Serial No.1,405.

The general object of the invention to provide an improved method of makmg wire wheels which method will be rapid and easy and inexpensive and which, generally stated, involves-holding the spokes in place by compression instead of by'tension thereln.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are obtained by the method illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail below, it being understood'that the drawings and following descriptions are for purposes of illustration only, the invention being not limlted to the specific method set forth.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an outer side elevation of a portion of a wheel construction made by th method of the invention; fFigure 2 is an inner side elevation there- 0 Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a detail side elevation of a modified type of connection between the outer spokes and the hub.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is a single hub forging or casting which is similar in many respects to the hub casting of an ordinary wood wheel. Lateral flanges 11 and 12 are formed thereon for receiving and holdin in the hub 10 the usual bearing raceways not shown) commonl employed in automobile wheels. In addition the hub 10 is formed with outer peripheral flanges 13 and 14, the flanges 13 on the outer side being comparatively narrow and flared outwardly axially of the wheel to provide a spoke supporting shoulder 13'. The flange 14 0111 the inner side of the wheel is compare tive war y axially of the wheel ad'acent its outer periphery to form a shoul er 14' on which the inner spokes are adapted to seat. The flange 13 is drilled or otherwise formed preferably with a series of tapered pockets 15, 15 for receiving the inner ends of the outer spokes and the flange 14 is preferably formed with a series of lugs 16 16, provided with grooves or pockets 17- or receiving the inner spokes, the ooves 17 being staggered or offset to permit of overlapping of the inner spokes.

The wheel is steel felly 18 o the conventional channel form for demoun'tably receiving a rim 19,

wide and is preferably flared inpreferably supplied with a i removably secured thereon as by bolts 20, clamps 21, and nuts 22. The felly shown is one of a type generally used with wood wheels. Other forms of fellies, however, could be employed without sacrificing any of the benefits to be derived from the invention. The felly 18 is in the preferred form,

provided with open tenon cups 23, 23 punched or pressed on the inner face thereof so as to receive and hold the outer ends of the outer and inner spokes. The walls of cups 23 are preferably tapered or countersunk.

The outer spokes of the wheel which are indicated by the numeral 24 are formed with tenons 25 at both ends so that they may be assembled into the wheel structure with one end in a pocket 15 and the other in a tenon cup 23. The inner spokes 26 are preferably formed in pairs from a single piece of wire formed with tenons 27 on its ends and bent to substantially .V-shape so as to be: seated at their vertices in the grooves or pockets 17, with the tenons 27 received in certain of the tenon-cups 23 in the felly. As shown in Figure 4, the s okes 26, may be formed singly and tenone at both ends, the flange 14 in that event beinghprovided with tapered pockets 28, 28 in t e lugs '16 which are formed with depressions on their inner faces to facilitate drilling of the pockets 28 therein.

In assembling the wheel structure described above, the hub 10 is set in a vertical .position on a suitable mandrel (not shown) which is so formed as to locate the felly 18 1n a position concentric with the hub. The felly 18. is made .to such oversize with respect to the correct or finished diameter of t e wheel as to permit the easy insertion 'of the inner spoke ends into the pockets 15 and grooves 17 of the hub flanges 13 and 14 and of the outer spoke ends in ali ment with the proper tenon cups 27. Suitable means (not shown) may be employed for positioning and guiding the spokes during the assembling operatlon. The felly is then mechanioa 1y" or otherwise contracted or reduced in diameter, thus pocketing the spoke ends securely into the felly and hub to form a permanent wheel unit in which the wire spokes are under compression. The strucing the outer tenons of t e spokes in the tenofilcups 23 and welding the inner tenons into the pockets 15 and 28 in the hub flanges. The lugs 16 on either side of grooves 17 may be peene'd over the vertices of the V-spokes 26 or the latter may be welded therein or they may be secured both by a peening and. a welding operation. i Modifications of the invention may be resorted thereto without departing from thesubstantially V-shape, positioning the double spokes so that their vertices are in alignment with the grooves and their ends in alignment with the pockets, contracting the felly onto the spokes to urge the vertices in the grooves and their ends in the pockets and peening the metal of the projecting lugs over the vertices of the spokes seated in the grooves.

2. The method of manufacturing wire wheels comprising forming a hub with grooves and projecting lugs adjacent thereto,

orming a telly with poc ets, forming a series of double spokes of eglsingle wire bent to substantially V-shape, positioning the double spokes so that their vertices are in alignment with the grooves, and their ends oversize felly with pockets, forming one series of double spokes composed of a single wire bent to substantially V-shape and another series of straight spokes with ends to engage said sockets, assembling the hub, spokes and telly with the vertices of the double spokes in alignment with the grooves in the hub and with the outer ends of the spokes in alignment with a portion of the sockets in the telly, positioning the straight spokes with their inner ends in alignment with the pockets in the hub and their outer. ends in v alignment with the remaining pockets in the telly, contracting the folly onto the spokes, and thereby simultaneously urging the vertices and inner ends of the spokes into the grooves and pockets, respectively, in the hub and the outer ends of the spokes into the pockets in the telly.

JOSEPH e. SWAIN. 

